Fear Whom?
Names provoke gut-reactions: Trump and Cruz, Bernie and Hillary. Enough said. There are different names for God in the Bible, and each one packed an emotional punch.
To recover that impact, it helps to locate the use of a name chronologically. Trump had different connotations in 1990 or 2003, and has a new impact in 2016. Similarly, in the Bible, the names of God gather associations over time.
Take King Solomon’s axiom, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” It always raises a question about the word fear. But the key to the proverb is actually the name Solomon uses for God: Yahweh.
This is the name associated with God’s appearance to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM who I AM.” Yahweh said that his name summed up his faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, and justice — his signature guaranteeing all his promises. Jewish scribes held it in such awe that they refused to speak or write it, substituting another name, Adoni, or Lord, in scriptural texts. (Translators still follow this tradition, printing “LORD” in capitals wherever Yahweh appears.)
For centuries, however, Israel ignored Yahweh. The people worshiped gods and goddesses from other tribes, deities like Baal and Asherah. The Bible details Israel’s political and economic decline during this period, repeating that the spiral was caused by spiritual infidelity (i.e. here).
King David, Solomon’s father, brought the name back.
David made Yahweh the centerpiece of his life. He wrote songs praising Yahweh for mercy, renewal, and strength. He refocused the nation’s worship on Yahweh’s promises and faithfulness. In just one generation, the nation became secure, wealthy, and unified — a climb that David claimed was due entirely to Yahweh’s mercy.
Which brings us back to David’s son Solomon.
“The fear of the LORD” is clearer. Yahweh rescued Israel, in spite of the nation’s infidelity. He kept his promises when the people broke theirs. There is an awesome power in this grace, a gut-level impact that compelled people to fall down and worship.
For Christians, Yahweh provokes the same gut reaction. Our powerful Father is for us, not against us. We hold him in awe and fear because he gave us salvation through the name of his Son — Jesus.
